Online only: Federal school meals programs need nutritional overhaul, report says
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With the nation’s childhood obesity crisis reaching epidemic proportions, two federal programs that provide food to millions of U.S. schoolchildren are in serious need of a nutritional makeover, according to a recent report from the Institute of Medicine.

Released in October, the report recommends that meals provided through the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program adopt new sets of nutrient targets and standards aligned with the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans — which are set by the Department of Health and Human Services and the United States Department of Agriculture — as well as IoM’s Dietary Reference Intakes. The recommendations would limit sodium and calories and encourage children to eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. The programs’ current nutrition standards and meal requirements are based on the 1995 dietary guidelines and the 1989 recommended dietary allowances.

“The programs that nourish so many American schoolchildren need to reflect the latest child health and nutrition science given the extent to which dietary habits shape lifelong health,” said Virginia Stallings, MD, chair of the 14-member IoM committee that authored the report. “Since the school meal programs were last updated, we’ve gained greater understanding of children’s nutritional needs and the dietary factors that contribute to obesity, heart disease and other chronic health problems. The changes recommended in this report are needed to assure parents that schools are providing healthful, satisfying meals.”

Commissioned by USDA, the IoM report, “School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children,” updates the school meals program’s nutrition standards with a recommended set of nutrient targets that are higher for protein, vitamins and minerals and lower for sodium. The committee also set maximum calorie levels for the first time. For children in grades kindergarten through five, lunches should not exceed 650 calories, the report said. For children in grades six through eight and nine through 12, lunches should not contain more than 700 calories and 850 calories, respectively. Breakfast calories should not exceed 500, 550 and 600 calories, respectively, for the three grade groups.

The sodium content of school meals should be gradually reduced over the next 10 years, according to the report, which pointed to data showing that a typical high school lunch contains around 1,600 milligrams of sodium. The report recommends that lunches for high school students should eventually contain no more than 740 milligrams.

Implementing the recommendations will likely raise the costs of providing school meals — particularly breakfasts — largely because of the increased amounts of fruits, vegetables and whole-grain foods involved, said the report, noting that a combination of higher federal meal reimbursement, capital investment and additional money for training food service operators will be needed to make the necessary changes in school cafeterias.

According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the IoM recommendations — which USDA will write into regulations — will help to address the biggest problems in children’s diets and foster healthier eating habits.

“Schools shouldn’t wait for UDSA’s final regulations to implement IoM’s sensible new school meal standards,” said APHA member Margo Wootan, nutrition policy director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “USDA should help schools work toward the new standards, so by the time they are required schools are already most of the way there.”

The National School Lunch Program is available in 99 percent of U.S. public schools and in 83 percent of private and public schools combined. The School Breakfast Program is in place in 85 percent of U.S. public schools. More than 30 million schoolchildren, or 60 percent, participated daily in the school lunch program in 2007, and about 10 million children ate school breakfasts.

Download “School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children” at [www.iom.edu/en](http://www.iom.edu/en).

*   Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association